Perfect Bait by Michael Fowlkes

Synopsis:

A spellbinding thriller, as suspenseful as it is sensual.

The richly-textured settings of Seattle's commercial waterfront, San Diego's topless beaches and the breathtaking waters off Cabo San Lucas create the backdrop for a riveting story of love, romance and betrayal, as a young couple find themselves in a fight for their lives having been set up by the FBI as perfect bait.

Review:

This is not my typical kind of book, but I must say I enjoyed it. Corey Phillips is devastated when he finds his beloved wife in bed with his best friend. To escape the pain, Corey starts a new life in California with a new love, Jennifer. He and Jennifer decide to restore a vintage yacht (and it takes as long to read about the restoration as it does to actually complete it!)

But the story becomes more interesting in its second half, when the murder/mystery element kicks in. I won't add spoilers, but the path to happiness for Corey and Jennifer is not a smooth one. There's lots of drama, and a daring rescue, which is well-executed by the author.

Warning--there's a good amount of graphic violence in this one, but I don't think it was gratuitous. Overall a good read, although the first half dragged for me.

The Good Woman by Jane Porter

Blurb:

Is it possible to leave it all behind?

The firstborn of a large Irish-American family, Meg Brennan Roberts is a successful publicist, faithful wife, and doting mother who prides herself on always making the right decisions. But years of being “the good woman” have taken a toll and though her winery career thrives, Meg feels burned out and empty, and more disconnected than ever from her increasingly distant husband. Lonely and disheartened, she attends the London Wine Fair with her boss, ruggedly handsome vintner, Chad Hallahan. It’s here, alone together in an exotic city, far from “real” life, that Chad confesses his long-standing desire for Meg.

Overwhelmed, flattered, and desperately confused, Meg returns home, only to suddenly question every choice she’s ever made, especially that of her marriage. For Meg, something’s got to give, and for once in her life she flees her responsibilities—but with consequences as reckless and irreversible as they are liberating. Now she must decide whether being the person everyone needs is worth losing the woman she was meant to be.

Review:

What a fantastic book! I love Ms. Porter’s writing style, and her realistic characters. I’m so happy this is going to be a series, and I’m sure I’ll be reading them all to the end.

This book touches on all of the Brennan sisters--Meg, Sarah, Kit and Brianna, but this is Meg’s book. Perfect mother, wife, and employee, Meg has it all. But she’s grown dissatisfied with her life. This feeling has come to a head at the exact moment that her boss invites her on a business trip, which she accepts. After this, her entire life changes.

I like Meg’s conflicts, her realistic struggles, and her very true-to-life frustrations in the role of working mother and wife. I also love the relationship between the sisters—I'm a sucker for a good family saga! I highly recommend this book--it's an addictive read.

Review--This is How it Ends

(I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

Blurb: THIS IS HOW IT ENDS tells the story of two people who collide with each other just as the whole world seems to be caught between the hope and promise of Obama’s election and the catastrophic collapse of the global economy.

Bruno is a middle-aged American banker who has come to Ireland to escape the financial meltdown in his own country. Addie is an out-of-work Irish architect. Childless and isolated when she meets Bruno, her life seems to be on a downward spiral.

Addie and Bruno’s story is one of nationality and identity, of the power of optimism to defeat despair and the unstoppable march of time. It’s the story of two people who find joy together when they were least expecting it. It's about the past and the future and the elusive skill of living in the moment. It is a love story for our times.

My Review:

This was in interesting book, one that left me wanting more, but not necessarily in a good way. Bruno and Addie are compelling characters--both have histories that intertwine in the past, as they are distant cousins as well as lovers.

My main beef with this book was that we didn't get enough...I wanted more background, more information about Addie's past, MUCH more information about Bruno's past (although the story is Addie's, in the end). Even the character of Addie's father, Hugh (probably the most interesting in the book), was underdeveloped. McMahon's writing ability is clear--her descriptions of the Irish seaside are beautiful, and her characterizations, what little we get of them, are clever and charming.

I've seen some reviews that remark about the surprise ending, but I had guessed it pretty early--and I'm not particularly good at that kind of thing, usually.

Overall, a good read

Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

This delightful Christmas present sneaks up on you, but the pay off is worth it if you are able to suspend belief (which is what Christmas is all about, right?)

Dash and Lily and 16-year-old New Yorkers, and they share a love of Manhattan that permeates the entire book like a well-viewed "Sex and the City" DVD. Both of these teens are smart--way too smart to be believed, especially in the case of Dash, a high school boy who uses words like "ersatz" and reads obscure poets in his spare time.

Lily, wanting to add some "Dash" to her sheltered life, leaves a notebook in the shelves of a popular NYC bookstore, in the hopes that someone will find it and join her impromptu scavenger hunt. Dash is game, and before we know it, the two of them are sharing adventures (and soul-searching journal entries) in the week or two leading up to Christmas and New Years.

Do they meet cute? Yes. Do we know what's going to happen from page one? Absolutely. But the journey is worth it, as we get to know Lily and see her break out of her shell. It's just as satisfying to see Dash learn to trust his gentler instincts, letting go of damaging effects of his parents' bitter divorce and learning to embrace joy and hope in the form of Lily's innocent optimism.

I highly recommend Lily and Dash--if you appreciate books, words, NYC, and young love, then their adventure is one you are sure to enjoy.

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

What can I say about this book, other than I *LOVED* it! Okay, I can probably say a little more than that.

Mia is a high school senior, a musical prodigy, and a happy, well-adjusted young woman.

And then she is involved in a car accident that changes everything.

"If I Stay" plays with the question of the afterlife, and the control you and I might have over whether we go into that bright light, or decide to stay amongst the living.

The story is told in a series of flashbacks, as we learn about Mia's tight family--her musician dad, tough-as-nails mom, and adoring eight-year-old brother. We also learn about her best friend Kim, and, of course, her boyfriend Adam.

The choice Mia makes is not as evident as one might think, and the reader is left guessing until the end.

I highly recommend this for YA as well as adult readers--Mia's story is told with love and sensitivity, and I was hooked until the very end.

Review: Playing James by Sarah Mason

Such a cute book. Holly is a reporter, looking for her next big story, when her editor puts her on the "crime beat". She's not terribly excited, but she decides to make the best of it by starting a new series for her paper, where she "shadows" a cop, in a reality-TV-meets-newpaper kind of way. Unfortunately, the cop she's saddled with is James, who might just hate her guts, along with all other journalists, for that matter. Damn him and his piercing green eyes.

Sound like the makings of a genre-hugging chick-lit novel? Of course it does. Holly is adorable, has a tempermental car named Tristan, and meets cute with James, while balancing her life, her inattentive boyfriend, and her crazy, thespian family.

Loved this book because it's so very, very British, and because when James finally declares his love, he reveals his habit of going into his car and smelling Holly's seatbelt at the end of the day. How freaking romantic is that?

We have a Winner!

The winner of the 4-book giveaway is Laurie! You'll be getting an email soon, girl! Happy reading! :)